Automated sampling system, remote situation report and remote cams.

[FREEFALL1984]

So here's my thoughts, Firstly rovers and unmanned crafts are obviously quite limited in their abilities, currently they just allow the user to gather a quick science boost during the early game by sending unmanned probes to planets where if an average player where to send a manned voyage, the chances of return would be extremely low, the only science an unmanned probe can collect is science provided by apparatus attached to the vessel, which is then transmitted (assuming the player cannot return to kerbin) So here's a few ideas for components which would both encourage the player to send unmanned vehicles and probes to other areas of space.

Firstly, the Automatic Sampling System or ASS as it would be known, would be attached to the bottom of a small rover and using a small animated and actuated arm, would allow the probe to take and analyse soil samples from other bodies, (obviously this has been done for years so it should be applied to KSP) The component would be prohibitively expensive (once money is introduced) and would be rather power heavy in order to keep the game balanced, Also the player would likely use it to transmit the data back to kerbin so the science gain would be capped.

Secondly, remote cameras would allow the user to switch camera view to a nearby remote camera and view the world as the roves sees it, this camera could be controlled by the used using the normal camera control buttons and perhaps could display a nice kerbal style HUD which lots of pointless asthetic features, the user could also place these cameras on manned vessels to allow for a docking cam, a landing cam and even have one placed the record EVA activity. Perhaps even have more powerful telescope cameras which could be used to earn science.

Finally the RSR or remote situation reports could allow the user to take a "crew report" of an unmanned ship, obviously this crew report would actually be made at the KSC so would require vast amounts of power compared to transmitting something small like goo results or thermal reading, since data would need to be transmitted both too and from the probe. Also the science gathered would be only 40% of the data received from a normal crew report, also prerequisites would need to be achieved for RSR to take place, this would include at least 1 remote camera and the obvious power requirements

[biohazard15]

All these things can be easily done with mods:

- Surface sampler: Scoop-O-Matic (uses stock surface sample experiment), DMagic Orbital Science (has own experiments)

- Rover camera: Panda Jager Laboratories has a Mastcam (It can also generate crew reports), use Hullcam mod to make your own camera. Docking camera also available in Romfarer's Lazor mod. Tarsier Space Tech has a telescope.

[FREEFALL1984]

I know there are mods which can achieve these things but wouldn't it be nice if they where incorporated into the vanilla game

[r4pt0r]

yes i think all these should make it into stock. makes probes more important

[FREEFALL1984]

it might also be cool to allow people to get a science verification multiplier, so any reports/soil samples transmitted by an unmanned vehicle, will then give extra science if the same samples are later recovered by a crewed vessel and returned to kerbin perhaps only 1.2x the original return value but an extra little boost to encourage people to send unmanned probes out before a bigger manned mission